Where to stay.
Wing-it or rezzies? What kind of traveler are you?
Even if you want to take the wing-it approach I think the peace of mind that comes of having a plan for your arrival in a new place makes it well worth doing, espeically since I put a high priority on being settled before dark. At the least you’ll want to know what availability is going to be like. Will your arrival overlap with the big film festival? Is this place sold out a year in advance of Holy Week? And when is Holy Week anyway? It helps to know these things or you will end up in the dark, cold and hungry, spending too much money for relief.
As long as you know for sure about that film festival or Holy Week or any other local sell-out situation, you can wing-it with the comfort that something will turn up.
If you are a rezzies all the way kind of traveler, no problem. You might miss out on some hidden treasure but advance preparation means you’ll have a better chance to get into the most well regarded budget accommodations. Everyone has the same access to this wealth of Internet information so the places that are budget-minded and also great do fill up first, hence the advantage to booking in advance.
I travel The Middle Road. With wifi and internet cafes on every corner you can pretty easily settle your next-stop arrangements as you go. You’ll know what will work becuase you will have studied up. If there is a place you really want to stay in you’ll schedule around its availability.
Whether you are Rezzies or Wing-it, you are guaranteed to face the unexpected and the more you know the better, about alternative accommodations, about where you are, and about the surrounding area.
Below are my favorite sites for researching accommodation because of all the reviews, the links, and focus on budget travel. Don’t miss the ‘Specialty Lodging’ tab on Trip Advisor as that’s where the hostels are. Here we go: Hostels; Hostelz (looks the same but it’s different…); HostelWorld; and the generally more up-market Hotels; Bookings; TripAdvisors. Also don’t miss the guidebook sites online: Lonely Planet; Rough Guides; Fodors; Frommers and of course, as always, Ms Google is happy to help.
Directory of TIPS!
My two best suggestions.
Deciding where you want to go.
Planning your itinerary.
Getting the logistics right.
Where to stay.
Know before you go!
Schlepping your stuff.
Some good ideas that aren’t for me but might be for you.